Britain's Queen Elizabeth II Friday concluded a central European trip that took her to two ex-communist states: Slovenia and Slovakia, for the first time. The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, headed home after two days in Slovakia and two days in Slovenia. Both countries won their independence and became economic success stories after communism fell in Europe in 1989. Slovenia was the first ex-communist country to adopt the euro, while Slovakia is set to make the switch on January 1. Prior to her departure from Slovakia Friday, the royal couple toured the country's High Tatra mountains. The day included a ride on a funicular. Then the queen dropped a hockey puck to open a friendly game between Slovak and British clubs in the mountain town of Poprad. On Thursday, the queen was given a traditional Slovak welcome of salt and bread. She also inspected an honour guard and took a walk through the rainy capital. Slovak newspapers treated the queen's trip with excitement, comparing it to earlier high-profile visits by US President George W Bush, former Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope John Paul II.
